Apple delays AirPod rollout, don’t expect them in October

If you’ve been waiting for Apple’s AirPod wireless headphones to go on sale, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Apple says that it is not ready and will need “a little more time.”

“The early response to AirPods has been incredible. We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Apple did not say whether hardware or software updates are what is at the heart of the delay so I couldn’t conjecture which. My experiences with the AirPods have been very positive this far but the pre-production units that were given out to press are not without their foibles and bugs. Read about my time with them here.

I have seen a variety of small software/hardware interaction issues that have caused some frustration – but have taken them in stride because they are not final products. Some folks who have had them early, as noted by Eduardo Arcos, have reported seeing some physical issues, though I have not seen anything like that myself.

It appears that Apple feels the same way and is taking more time to fix either hardware or software issues that prevent them from being customer ready. No timeline was given as far as future availability.

The AirPods are a brand new piece of hardware for Apple incorporating a half dozen new technologies including a bespoke wireless chip. They couldn’t have been easy to make and it seems that’s being reflected in these delays. Apple has placed the AirPods at the center of a variety of strategies surrounding wireless audio and AI, so it’s important that it gets the launch right.